When you think of a camping trip and the overall camping landscape, you probably know that there is a tent and the outdoors involved. Are you aware of the other aspects of camping? This article will help raise awareness of the different things involved in order to experience a successful trip to the outdoors. Use these tips to have a fun camping trip!
If you are planning any kind of backcountry camping, a must carry item is a fire starter kit. If you are in a survival situation, fire is a way to cook, keep you warm, purify water, and signal for help. Many camping stores sell fire starters that can be used when wet and do not require any fuel. Also, try making fire when you are not in a survival situation so you know you can do it if the need arises.
When you pack up your camp site to go home, leave a few logs and some kindling for the next camping group that comes along. If you have ever arrived at your site after dark, you know how tough it can be to find firewood! It’s a very nice pay-it-forward gesture that will probably help out more than you can imagine.
While a campfire gives off enough light in the general area around it, you want to be sure you take along a flashlight on your camping trip if you plan to venture outside of the campfire’s glow. This is a definite safety precaution you don’t want to ignore. It can be quite dark out there in the woods at nighttime.
As a courtesy to other campers, don’t leave your lighting on overnight, if you are close to others. Pack a timer that you can attach to your lights that will automatically shut them off after a certain time. Leaving lights on overnight is a popular complaint among most American campers!
To avoid blistered and chapped feet on your camping trip, bring a bar of soap along! Prior to any lengthy walk, rub the soap into the heals of your socks and this will minimize friction, thus reducing soreness. Keep the soap in your pocket for a quick dose when your feet start feeling beat-up or blistered.
If you will be camping somewhere that is very far away from civilization, then make sure you have told several people where you will be as well as how long you are intending to stay. Ask them to call you on the day you are supposed to return to ensure your safety.
If you have a young child with you, do the math in advance with respect to how much baby food or formula they will need. Make sure you have supplies for them that will last the entire length of your trip. There are no guarantees that a store near your campsite will have these items or will have the type of items that you want.
When you are planning a camping trip with children, take some time before you go to talk with them about common camping dangers. It is easy to go online together and look at pictures of poison ivy and other hazardous plants so they will know what not to touch as they explore the great outdoors.
Camping in the wilderness alone is one of the most dangerous things that you can do. It is essential that you always bring at least one friend with you unless you are incredibly knowledgeable about the wilderness. Additionally, bringing several friends with multiple tents is the ideal situation, but this is not always possible.
Before you even leave your camping trip, try practicing pitching a tent in your backyard or some other open space. People do not know how difficult pitching a tent can be; you do not want to get to camp and realize you have no idea what you are doing. Practice makes perfect!
Many people who are not very experienced with camping start out by doing day trips. This can be a great way to adjust to nature without the dangers associated with staying in the woods all night. The best way to do is to find a simple hotel near the campground, but only for sleeping purposes.
Take the time to get a map and to get to know the land. This will help prevent you from getting lost, and to help you figure out how to navigate around your camping grounds throughout your entire trip. This is a good idea to help save time and worry for you.